Your Mercury Retrograde survival kit! 🪐🎒
Hello beautiful soul,
Today, April 1st, we're starting Mercury retrograde. (Oh no, not again!🙃) In this newsletter, I'm going to explain what this means, how it might affect you, and how you can manage its impact in your daily life and work.
Understanding Mercury retrograde has been a game-changer for me. Once I got what was happening and why, it became easier to navigate its energy. In this newsletter, I'll share my experiences and tips to help you get through this period more smoothly.
Remember, Mercury retrograde is a time for reflection and reevaluation. It's a good opportunity to slow down, think about your communication and projects, and make sure everything's in order before moving forward. So let's dive in and make the most of this time!
Mercury & Retrograde 🪐💫
Let's explore Mercury more closely. It's the smallest planet in our solar system and the nearest to the Sun, completing an orbit in just 88 Earth days because of this close distance. In astrology, Mercury is seen as the planet of communication, closely tied to how we think, communicate, and process information.. It rules over the zodiac signs Gemini and Virgo, and influencing areas related to thinking, analyzing, and exchanging ideas. Astrologically, Mercury shapes how we understand, think, communicate, and convey our experiences.When we say a planet is "in retrograde," it looks like it's moving backward in the sky each night, instead of its normal path. This happens because Earth, moving faster on its path around the Sun, passes the slower-moving planet, or sometimes a faster planet passes Earth. It's not that the planet really changes direction. It's just how it appears to us from where we are on Earth. So, retrograde is kind of like an optical illusion.
Mercury goes retrograde about three times a year, each lasting around three weeks. In 2024, the Mercury retrograde periods are:
April 1 to April 25, 2024
August 5 to August 28, 2024
November 25 to December 15, 2024
During Mercury Retrograde, things can get a bit mixed up. Normally, life seems straightforward and logical, but Mercury Retrograde can throw a wrench in the works. You might notice more problems with communication, like emails not sending or receiving, WhatsApp having issues, or mix-ups in schedules and online systems.
On a personal level, if you usually think and understand things in one way, Mercury Retrograde might make you feel like your brain is working differently. For example, if you normally use your creative and intuitive side (often linked to the right brain), you might find yourself thinking more analytically and logically (like the left brain) during this time, and vice versa. This is a period where understanding more about how your brain works, and how it changes during Mercury retrograde, can be really useful.
What (Not) to Do During a Mercury Retrograde
In general
During Mercury retrograde, it's a period to decelerate and reflect inwardly, mirroring Mercury's motion. According to Gemini, the zodiac sign associated with Mercury, life should be treated as a playful and light-hearted journey. Therefore, this time encourages us not to take ourselves or life too seriously. How does it resonate with you to release control, relax, and lean back?
Personally
Firstly, identify whether you are left- or right-brained. Check in the alinea below: Understanding Your Mercury Placement. Then, during Mercury retrograde, try to engage with your opposite brain type. Reflect on the lessons this can teach you: where are you too set in your ways? Perhaps you're overly organized, or constantly in the moment without making your dreams tangible, which requires structure, planning, and effort. Lastly, consider how Mercury retrograde can bring positive change to your life. How can adopting this new perspective help you achieve your dreams? Use these three weeks to allow Mercury to work in your favor, turning potential frustration into productive reflection and growth!
At work or in your business
During this period, refrain from initiating new projects as they may not resonate with the intended audience. Avoid sending crucial emails, but if necessary, verify afterward that the recipient has indeed received them. Hold off on making significant decisions, as your cognitive processes may differ from usual. If you're typically methodical and organized, corresponding to right-brain dominance, consider shifting your focus to the creative aspects of your work. Engage in generating content, developing new concepts (without launching them), and conducting brainstorming sessions, either solo or with your team. Exercise patience with yourself, your colleagues, employees, and technology. When things or people don't function as expected, resist frustration. Instead, remember the influence of Mercury and Gemini, and approach life and interpersonal interactions with a lighter perspective.
Understanding Your Mercury Placement 🪐
In shamanic astrology, Mercury represents the new mental path for this lifetime. To understand this new mental way, you look up Mercury in your birth chart, specifically the zodiac signs. This reveals the energy of each sign and whether it is more left-brained (logical) or right-brained (intuitive). If you're unsure about your Mercury placement, you can look up your birth chart here. Look for the Mercury (third) signs in the explanation beneath the chart.
With your Mercury placement known, explore the energies and characteristics described below.
Right brain (intuitive)
Fire signs 🔥—Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius—are intuitive and aim to venture into uncharted territories, exploring new grounds. These signs act on intuition, driven by passion, enthusiasm, and spontaneity, often jumping into new experiences without overthinking and being in the present moment.
Water sign 🌊 —Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio—navigate life through their emotions. When emotionally balanced, they excel, able to sense the finest nuances of feelings with their compassion and empathy. They experience and communicate through emotions. Water signs live in the moment and have a unique ability to connect deeply with others.
Left brain (logical)
Air signs 🎐—Aquarius, Gemini, Libra—use the thinking process intensively, often leading to an enhanced level of thought. They thrive on detachment, objectivity, and having an overarching perspective. These signs have a tendency to overthink, which can be a drawback. Allowing the mind to rest is crucial for them.
Earth signs 🌳 —Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn—utilize the thinking function grounded in the sensation function, emphasizing the physical and the need to connect with earthly reality. They are sometimes perceived as slow because they take the necessary time to fully embody their feelings, perceptions, or experiences.
My overactive brain 🤯
Here's a glimpse into my mental world: my Mercury is in Aquarius, an air sign, amplifying my thought processes. This leads to overthinking and a constantly active mind. Stimulants like caffeine, certain herbs, or medications, along with stress, significantly affect my mental state, often triggering migraines, which I frequently battle.
My thirst for knowledge is unending, and I find myself easily bored without intellectual stimulation. Constantly, my mind is producing new ideas, projects, and stories. With my Sun in Pisces, I empathetically and compassionately listen to my clients' stories, yet I maintain a detachment that prevents these stories from overwhelming me. Furthermore, my ability to identify patterns and connections is enhanced by this objective standpoint and the support of my Virgo Moon.
Fun fact, my journey into Astrology began with a recommendation from an astrologer during a private session. Astrology's complexity and depth captivate me; it's a field where learning never ceases. Each time I delve into it, I discover new layers, continuously fascinating my ever-curious mind.
Embracing Creativity and Flexibility During Mercury Retrograde
During Mercury retrograde, my usual left-brained approach, which is structured, organized, and forward-thinking, shifts to a more right-brained mentality. I find myself struggling with planning and to-do lists, becoming less organized and forgetful. However, this period enhances my creativity, allows me to live more in the moment, and reduces my perfectionism. I utilize this time to focus on writing, generating new ideas, and boosting creativity for both personal and business growth. Additionally, I take pleasure in relaxing my usual standards and embracing a bit of disorder.
